Measure E: It's "Yes"

More than three weeks after voters cast their ballots in the Feb. 5 election, boosters of a school bond for the Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District are declaring victory.
Final election results were released Thursday by the Placer County Elections Department, and show Measure E receiving enough votes, when combined with unofficial tallies from Antelope in Sacramento County, to put it over the necessary 55 percent approval.
All together, the bond received 56.29 percent approval from those living in both counties. The latest figures give Measure E a victory by about 185 votes, according to an unofficial Press-Tribune tally.
According to the latest numbers, 51.42 percent, or 5,405 Placer voters approved the school bond, while 5,107 voted no. In Antelope, 69.67 percent, or 2,672 gave Measure E the nod, and 30.33 percent, or 1,163, voted no.
Following Election Day, unofficial tallies gave the bond a margin of just 28 votes “ a razor-thin lead that both bond boosters and foes said was too close to call.
In the intervening weeks, elections staffers have been verifying the results and counting provisional and late absentee ballots.
While the final numbers could change by the time Sacramento County releases its certified results, school officials are comfortable enough with their lead in both counties to call it a win.
The $67.3 million Measure E would adds about $30 per $100,000 of assessed value to homeowners' property taxes for those living in the district, which includes a portion of Roseville, as well as Antelope and the Dry Creek community.
Funds will go toward completing permanent structures at under-construction Creekview Ranch Middle School, build a new elementary school sometime in the future, and perform facilities and technology improvements at all school sites.
Bond supporters said the measure was necessary to give students at the new middle school comparable facilities, rehab ageing buildings and prepare for future growth. Opponents said the school district should do a better job planning with the state and developer fees it already receives before asking voters to tax themselves.
For more, see the Saturday issue of The Press-Tribune.